Elementary Schools in Polk County

Summary:

The Polk County elementary school system in Tennessee consists of three schools - Benton Elementary, South Polk Elementary, and Copper Basin Elementary School. These schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade in the Polk County district.

Among the three schools, South Polk Elementary stands out as the highest performer, with stronger test scores across multiple subjects and grade levels compared to the county and state averages. For instance, in the 2024-2025 school year, 44.1% of South Polk students were proficient or better in English Language Arts (ELA), exceeding the 35% proficiency rate for Polk County and the 38.9% rate for Tennessee. In contrast, Copper Basin Elementary School has lower overall performance but excels in 4th grade math, with 47.4% proficiency in 2024-2025, compared to 31.3% for the county and 45.8% for the state.

Across all three schools, chronic absenteeism rates were consistent at 18.9% in 2023-2024, higher than the state average. Spending per student ranged from $11,279 at South Polk Elementary to $12,481 at Copper Basin Elementary School, while student-teacher ratios varied from 15.2 at Copper Basin to 16.6 at South Polk. Across the board, math proficiency rates tended to lag behind ELA and science, suggesting an area for improvement in the Polk County elementary school system.

District Detail

131 Stephens ST
Benton, TN 37307

(423) 299-0471

SchoolDigger Rank:
107^th of 139 Tennessee districts

See the 2025 Tennessee District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 2,160

Primary Schools: 3
Middle Schools: 1
High Schools: 2
Alternative Schools: 1

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				TNReady Mathematics (2025)					TNReady English Language Arts (2025)					TNReady Science (2025)					TNReady Social Studies (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	TNReady Mathematics 3rd Grade	TNReady Mathematics 4th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 5th Grade	TNReady Mathematics 6th Grade	TNReady Mathematics All Grades	TNReady English Language Arts 3rd Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 4th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 5th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts 6th Grade	TNReady English Language Arts All Grades	TNReady Science 3rd Grade	TNReady Science 4th Grade	TNReady Science 5th Grade	TNReady Science 6th Grade	TNReady Science All Grades	TNReady Social Studies 6th Grade	TNReady Social Studies All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Benton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	215 Schoolhouse Hill RD	Benton	37307	Polk County	Polk County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 299-0090	395	26	15.4		370 (93.7%)	11 (2.8%)	11 (2.8%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	43.1	559^th of 1009 public elementary schools	44.6%		46.2	525^th of 1018 public elementary schools	48.4%	34	38.2	22.7	43.1		34.1	50.9	34.8	37.9		40.8	54.5	36.4	39.7		43.0			$11,644	$707	$9,931
South Polk Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	964 Old Federal RD	Old Fort	37362	Polk County	Polk County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 338-4512	341	21	16.6		332 (97.4%)	3 (0.9%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.1	529^th of 1009 public elementary schools	47.6%		48.7	488^th of 1018 public elementary schools	52.1%	41	39.1	32.8	47.9		39.5	41.3	44.8	45.8		44.1	41.3	44.8	33.3		40.1			$11,369	$1,291	$9,085
Copper Basin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	206 Cougar DR	Copperhill	37317	Polk County	Polk County	No	No	No	Yes	(423) 496-3271	316	21	15.2		305 (96.5%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	26.9	770^th of 1009 public elementary schools	23.7%		42.9	577^th of 1018 public elementary schools	43.3%	193	34.1	47.4	25.7	29.4	34.5	41.5	42.1	17.1	23.5	31.8	19.0	38.9	14.3	26.5	24.5	8.8	8.8	$12,575	$797	$10,720

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Bradley County	8.47 mi	19	45^th
McMinn County	9.41 mi	9	51^st
Cleveland	11.75 mi	9	116^th
Etowah	12.17 mi	1	121^st
Athens	17.84 mi	3	47^th

See the top TN Tennessee districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.